Yale Football Blog

The Yale Bulldogs head to Bozeman, Montana for a showdown versus the Montana State Bobcats in the second round of the FCS Playoffs. Kickoff is slated for 2 PM EST and the game will air on ESPN+.

The Bobcats are the second ranked squad in the FCS and are on a 10-game winning streak following early season losses to Oregon and South Dakota State. Montana State will be well rested after a bye week and the team is carrying strong momentum from a win over their archrival, Montana, in the Brawl of the Wild in Missoula. In terms of talent, Yale hasn’t faced athletes as fast and physical as those from Montana State since the loss to UConn in 2021. Coaching across the board is excellent with the Bobcats making very few critical mistakes.

Montana State’s offense is led by junior QB Justin Lamson (6’2”, 210 lbs.) who is far more seasoned than his class year would indicate as he spent two years at Syracuse and another two years at Stanford prior to the transfer to MSU. Lamson is a true dual threat quarterback with the ability to beat teams with his arm or legs. Lamson has completed 72.4% of his passes for 20 touchdowns and only 2 interceptions. In the ground game, Lamson averages 4.4 yards per carry and leads the Bobcats with 11 rushing touchdowns. Senior RB Julius Davis (5’10”, 210 lbs.) is an explosive, strong back who is averaging 7.3 yards per carry and has become adept at leaping over defenders in the open field. Sophomore RB Adam Jones (6’1”, 200 lbs.) is a team captain as an underclassman and has had an impressive 5.6 yards per carry with 10 rushing touchdowns. Jones is also a threat on passing downs with 25 receptions on the season. Junior WR Taco Dowler (5’9”, 170 lbs.) is an electric athlete who was named a 2nd Team All-Big Sky wideout and a 1st Team All-Big Sky punt returner. The Bobcats love to move Dowler around to find favorable matchups and he’s torched defenses for 59 receptions for 745 yards and 5 receiving touchdowns. Redshirt freshman WR Dane Steel (5’10”, 178 lbs.) has been excellent in his first collegiate season with 30 catches for 355 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Redshirt freshman TE Rocky Lencioni (6’3”, 220 lbs.) is another receiving weapon who is often targeted in the redzone with 5 touchdown receptions, while sophomore TE Rylan Schlepp (6’4”, 235 lbs.) is a solid run blocker who is occasionally targeted in the passing game. MSU’s offensive line averages 298.0 lbs. across the board and is far superior to any offensive line faced in recent memory. Junior OT Titan Fleischmann (6’4”, 300 lbs.) is the leader of the Bobcats’ offensive line and was named a 1^st Team All-Big Sky offensive lineman in 2025. Lamson has only been sacked 26 times through 12 games and typically is undisturbed in the pocket. The big men up front for the Bobcats have worn down opposing defensive fronts as they paved the way for 5.8 yards per carry. Success defensively for the Bulldogs will need to start up front with disruption at the line of scrimmage on rushing plays and pressure on Lamson on passing downs. Lamson will be eager to run on the Elis after watching film from the first half of last week’s contest and the Bulldogs will need defenders to deliver crushing blows on Lamson in the open field to make him think twice about departing the pocket. Blitzes will need to be heavily disguised as Lamson had made teams pay when showing blitz packages. In the secondary, the focus has to be on shutting down Taco Dowler as he has almost twice the number of receptions as the next leading receiver.

MSU’s defense is even more impressive than its offense led by the Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year, junior S Caden Dowler (6’0”, 205 lbs.). Dowler has racked up 78 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 4 interceptions, and 2 forced fumbles over a very impressive season to date. The Bobcats’ entire starting defensive front earned All-Big Sky honors with seniors Paul Brott (6’3”, 300 lbs.) and Kenneth Eiden IV (6’1”, 250 lbs.) earning 1^st Team nods while seniors Alec Eckert (6’2”, 285 lbs.) and Hunter Parsons (6’4”, 245 lbs.) earned Honorable Mention nominations. Sophomore LB Cole Taylor (6’3”, 230 lbs.) is second on the team with 66 tackles and was named as a 2^nd Team All-Big Sky linebacker. Sophomore DB Tayden Gray (6’0”, 185 lbs.) was also a 2^nd Team All-Big Sky defender and can make plays across the field from his nickel position. The Bobcats have only allowed 116.6 rushing yards per game and 3.8 rushing yards per carry, so getting Pitsenberger rolling in the running game will not be as simple as last week. MSU is also very stingy on 3^rd downs as they have only allowed opponents to convert on 31.4% of 3^rd down attempts. The Bobcats will be laser focused on shutting down Pitsenberger, so the Elis will need to establish a credible passing threat to keep the box from being stacked on every down. The offensive line faces their toughest task of the season and must find a way to provide Reno with some breathing room in the pocket even if it requires Pitsenberger to stay in the pocket to pass protect. The offensive coaching staff will once again need to dig deep into their bag of tricks with creative plays to keep defenders guessing. Teams such as Montana found some success attacking the edges with speed, so well-timed jet sweeps or quick hitting outside routes could be viable options.

Sophomore K Myles Sansted (6’3”, 188 lbs.) is 14 of 18 on field goal attempts with a long of 48 yards. Freshman P Colby Frokjer (6’3”, 185 lbs.) averages 43.6 yards per punt and has placed 13 punts inside the redzone. Taco Dowler could be the best punt returner in FCS and freshman WR Jabez Woods (5’11”, 178 lbs.) has the speed to burn kickoff coverage units for large gains.

Go Bulldogs! Beat the Bobcats!

The Yale Bulldogs defeated the Youngstown State Penguins in a 43-42 thriller at the Ice Castle in Youngstown, Ohio. Yale moves to 9-2 on the season and advances to the second round of the FCS Playoffs with a tough matchup at Montana State ahead.

The first half proved to be disastrous for Yale’s offense as two interceptions and a fumble derailed drives while the Penguins effortlessly sliced though Yale’s defense to secure a commanding lead. A poorly thrown ball to Pitsenberger was tipped and intercepted and another outside pass into tight coverage was intercepted. The fumble was particularly painful as the Bulldogs were inside the 10-yard line and driving to make it a 14-28 halftime score, but the Penguins scooped up the fumble and nearly returned it for a touchdown. A few plays later, the Penguins cruised in for another touchdown run to make it 7-35 at the half. With McGown and Lewis out of the lineup at tackle and guard respectively, freshman Tru Kendrick and senior Joseph Nash filled in along the offensive line. Charron was also injured at guard with junior Dylan Garrity stepping up to fill his vacated spot. The offensive line struggled in pass protection in the first half with Reno absorbing some of the hardest hits that he has experienced all season in the pocket. Coach Reno and staff did not throw in the towel at half and made key adjustments to keep the Bulldogs’ hopes of winning their first playoff game alive. The offensive line began wearing down the Penguins’ front as they opened wide holes for Pitsenberger. Santiago and Anderson were phenomenal with Brown out of the contest with an injury. Santiago hauled in 9 catches for 104 yards while Anderson looked like the second coming of Mason Tipton with 8 catches for 138 yards and a touchdown. Smith and Mermans both hauled in key touchdown receptions from their tight end positions and Smith also caught the 2-point conversion pass from Reno that proved to be the difference in the contest. The catalyst for the explosive second half was the success of the rushing attack as Pitsenberger ripped off 209 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns on the afternoon. Things became heated when Hickey injured Santiago on a reception over the middle which later led to a personal foul on Nash as he knocked Hickey to the turf after a play. The Bulldogs would have the last laugh on their former teammate as Pitsenberger torched Hickey for a 56-yard touchdown that gave Yale its first lead in the contest. Pitsenberger also selflessly kneeled at the 1-yard line on a potential touchdown run to burn the clock and eliminate any chance that the Penguins’ offense would see the field again in the waning minutes.

Yale had not faced a player as special as Beau Brungard in 2025 and Brungard made the Elis pay dearly in the first half. The Penguins’ offensive line manhandled the Bulldogs initially as they gave Brungard ample time in the pocket and opened gaping rushing lanes. Tackling and pursuit angles were simply atrocious in the first half as Youngstown State piled on five first half touchdowns. The defensive line could not generate a pass rush without Larry, linebackers couldn’t get off blocks or flow fast enough to ball carriers, and the secondary was picked apart. With the Bulldogs down 14-42 late in the third quarter and the season on the line, the defense bounced back to shut down Brungard for over a full quarter. Grant tied for the team lead with 8 tackles and applied pressure on Brungard to force a key incompletion. Ayo-Durojaiye also had 8 tackles and forced a fumble that proved to be a momentum-changing play. Kamara led with 3 pass breakups and recovered the fumble caused by Ayo-Durojaiye. Shaber notched a sack on a critical possession for the Penguins while Yang made key plays with 6 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss. The secondary clamped down on YSU’s talented receiving corps in the fourth quarter with tight coverage and pass breakups. As we witnessed for much of the season, when the defense needed to get a stop, they delivered.

Conforti was perfect on all 5 of his PATs and did not attempt a field goal. Keeney only punted twice on the afternoon and averaged a whopping 53.0 yards per punt including a long punt of 63 yards. Tarver dominated on returns with one punt returned for 19 yards and 5 kickoff returns for 131 yards to give the Bulldogs excellent field position. Congratulations to all of the players and staff members for one of the most exciting comeback wins in Yale’s storied history. We’re on to Montana State!

The Bulldogs head to the Ice Castle in Youngstown, Ohio for an FCS Playoff matchup against the Youngstown State Penguins. Kickoff is slated for noon on Saturday and the game will air on ESPN+.

Youngstown State enters the matchup with an 8-4 record with losses to Michigan State, South Dakota State, North Dakota, and North Dakota State. YSU wound up ranked fourth in the brutal Missouri Valley Football Conference at the end of regular season play but had chances to defeat both SDSU and NDSU which would have catapulted the ‘Guins in the rankings. 

The Penguins’ offense is led by the dynamic junior QB Beau Brungard (6’0”, 215 lbs.) who could be the top quarterback in the FCS this year. Brungard has thrown for 2,917 passing yards, 23 touchdowns and only 3 interceptions. Brungard is even more impressive in the running game with 1,378 rushing yards (6.1 YPC) and 24 rushing touchdowns. The Penguins love to spread out defenses wide and give Brungard the flexibility to run against an unstacked box or find one of his electric receivers for a big gain. Senior WR Max Tomczak (6’0”, 195 lbs.) was a 1st Team All-MVFC wideout in 2024 and has racked up 916 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns. Junior WR Flash Wilson (5’9”, 180 lbs.) could be the quickest receiver that Yale has faced all season and averages 10.0 yards per reception. Sophomore RB Jaden Gilbert (5’10”, 180 lbs.) averages an impressive 6.5 yards per carry and can also be a receiving threat out of the backfield. YSU’s offensive line averages 298.0 lbs. across the board and has paved the way for 5.8 yards per carry on the season. Brungard typically has all day to throw as the line provides solid pass protection and surrendered only 16 sacks through 12 games. There’s no simple formula to shut down the Penguins’ offense but it will need to start up front with the Bulldogs getting penetration at the line of scrimmage. Pass rushers will need to stay true to their rush lanes as Brungard can takeoff downfield in an instant if a hole forms. Ayo-Durojaiye or Grant awill need to spy Brungard at times while the defensive backfield will need to stay glued to talented wideouts. The defensive coaching staff members face their toughest test trying to slow Youngstown State’s offense this week. 

The Penguins’ defense has not matched the performance of their offense as they have allowed 6.2 yards per play and 48 touchdowns on the season. Senior DB Dayne Hodge (5’10”, 195 lbs.) leads the defense in tackles with 68 and is an experienced transfer from Tulsa. Senior LB Preston Zandier (6’0”, 225 lbs.) is the leader of the front seven with 66 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and an interception on the season. Senior DB DJ Harris (5’11”, 185 lbs.) led YSU in the tackles in 2024 and has been a key defender in 2025 with 63 tackles and 2 interceptions. Junior LB Carston Marshall (6’2”, 215 lbs.) has played very well with 61 tackles, 5 tackles for loss and a forced fumble. Senior S Dathan Hickey (6’0”, 200 lbs.) was an Eli from 2018 to 2023 and sat out in 2024 with an injury. It’s great to see Hickey finally healthy and he has racked up 57 tackles, 2 interceptions and 2 forced fumbles. Junior OLB Michael Wells (6’3”, 250 lbs.) is a very talented pass rusher off the edge with 8.5 sacks. Senior DT Collin Vaughn (6’2”, 285 lbs.) is disruptive along the defensive front and has notched 37 tackles with 1.5 sacks. The Bulldogs will need to get Pitsenberger rolling in the ground game to burn the clock and keep the YSU offense off of the field. The Penguins’ secondary has been exploited all season allowing 8.0 yards per passing attempt, so developing creative plays for Brown and Santiago will be critical. The Elis will likely need to score early and often to keep pace with the ‘Guins as stalled  drives could prove fatal. 

Junior K Andrew Lastovka (5’8”, 170 lbs.) has completed 15 of 19 field goals with a long of 49 yards on the season. Senior P Brendon Kilpatrick (6’2”, 220 lbs.) averages a booming 46.3 yards per punt with 8 punts placed inside the redzone. Flash Wilson is one of the best kick returners in the country and returned a kick for a 100-yard touchdown this season.

Go Bulldogs! Beat the Penguins!

The Yale Bulldogs defeated the Harvard Crimson 45-28 in one of the most complete victories of the Reno era.

The Yale offense made a very early appearance in The Game after an amazing strip by Webster gave the Bulldogs the ball in great field position. The Elis wasted no time in scoring with Santiago hauling in a reception and breaking tackles on his way to the end zone. Yale was up 7-0 in the blink of an eye and never relinquished the lead. Dante Reno made impressive throws as he completed 15 of 19 passes for 273 yards, 3 touchdowns and no interceptions. Pitsenberger racked up 143 yards and 3 touchdowns with physical runs to keep the chains moving. Daal averaged 5.0 yards per carry on 7 carries as a great change of pace back. Brown torched the Crimson’s secondary for 189 yards and a receiving touchdown including a 64-yard bomb that he broke a tackle on for a score. Santiago was simply too fast and physical for Harvard with 5 catches for 68 yards and a touchdown. Anderson took a short flip from Reno into the end zone on a beautifully designed 12-yard touchdown play. The offensive line did not allow a sack and kept the ground game churning all afternoon. It was a dominating offensive display against a talented defense that will go down in history as a clutch performance to not only secure a share of the Ivy Championship, but also earn the first automatic qualifier to the FCS Playoffs.

Webster set the defensive tone of the afternoon by securing a tackle on a wideout while stripping the ball on Harvard’s first drive. Webster’s solid contest did not end there as he was constantly in tight coverage and led the Bulldogs in tackles with 8. Grant had 7 stops in the contest and was a key factor in slowing the Crimson’s offensive assault. Craig was held to just 27 completions on 50 attempts as heavy pressure was generated and defensive backs stayed close to receivers for the most part. Gonzalez, White and Barkley-Smith all made clutch plays in lone coverage. Kamara was impactful with 6 tackles and the biggest hit of the day on a Harvard running play. Schmidt had 6 tackles, half a sack and a key pass breakup but did struggle at times in coverage. Tarver bounced back after allowing an early touchdown strike to have a nice contest in coverage. Along the defensive line, there were once again a number of standouts including Larry, Shaber, Jackson-Bass, Tate, and Yang among others. Larry led the pass rush with one sack while Jackson-Bass added half a sack. There is still room for improvement on fourth down situations and stopping runs from the quarterback, yet fans have to be thrilled with how the defense held up through Ivy League play all season. 

Piper nailed a 40-yard field goal and Keeney averaged an impressive 43.8 yards per punt. Melik Williams delivered a huge hit on kickoff coverage in one of the highlights of the day.

Congratulations to all the players and staff members on a championship season! For the first time in history, the Bulldogs are on to Youngstown State!

The Yale Bulldogs host the Harvard Crimson in The Game on Saturday at the Bowl. Kickoff is slated for noon and the game will air on ESPNU.

Harvard enters the contest with an unblemished 9-0 record and has already secured at least a share of the Ivy crown. The Crimson cruised their way through the first 8 games of the season as they made short work of inferior opponents and intentionally did not run up scores in wins that looked effortless. Week 9 was a different story for the Crimson as Penn exploited holes in Harvard’s defense and nearly knocked off Harvard in a 45-43 contest won by the Crimson on a 53-yard field goal.

Harvard’s offense is led by the talented senior QB Jaden Craig (6’3”, 230 lbs.) who has been drawing NFL attention this season. Craig has continued to upgrade his craft each season to become the top QB in the Ivy League. Craig has 21 touchdowns passes with 2,456 passing yards and has only thrown 5 interceptions. In the passing game, Craig has great vision and really excels on medium distance throws. Craig has good quickness to avoid potential sacks and is a decent runner who can easily pick up firsts when the pocket collapses. Harvard’s rushing attack is led by senior RB Xaviah Bascon (5’9”, 200 lbs.) who is very powerful and hard to bring down. Bascon averages an impressive 5.1 yards per carry and has scored 7 rushing touchdowns. The Crimson have a deep stable of backs including the speedy sophomore RB DJ Gordon (6’0”, 205 lbs.) and junior RB Jordan Harris (5’9”, 190 lbs.) who each have rushed for over 300 yards on the season. Sophomore WR Brady Blackburn (6’0”, 180 lbs.) has emerged as a top receiver in the Ivy League with 648 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns. Senior WR Cam Henry (5’9”, 180 lbs.) is a very fast threat with 345 receiving yards and 13.3 yards per catch. Senior WR Dean Boyd (6’4”, 210 lbs.) is a large target with the hands and speed to cause problems.  Following in a long line of great Harvard tight ends is junior Seamus Gilmartin (6’4”, 235 lbs.) who has solidified himself as the top receiving tight end in the conference. Gilmartin leads the Crimson with 5 receiving touchdowns as a major threat in the redzone. Senior TE Ryan Osborne (6’0”, 220 lbs.) is another tremendous receiving weapon that can surprise teams that focus elsewhere. Harvard’s offensive line averages 302.0 lbs. across the board and has provided Craig with ample throwing time all season. The Crimson have been dominant in both run and pass blocking with 4.8 yards per carry and only 7 sacks allowed. Yale has to find a way to generate pressure on Craig without sacrificing too much in coverage. Wrapping up ball carriers is crucial as Craig routinely sidesteps defenders to avoid sacks and Bascon can simply run through arm tackles. Our secondary will need to be nearly perfect against a loaded set of receiving weapons. Yale must clean up the pass interference, holding and roughing penalties that could be backbreakers.

Harvard’s defense has allowed just 15.1 points per game and 282.7 yards of total offensive yardage per game. Opponents have not fared well on 3^rd and 4^th downs against the Crimson with conversion rates of just 39.3% and 39.1% respectively. Junior LB Sean Line (6’0”, 220 lbs.) has impressed in his first season as a starter with 67 tackles, 1.5 sacks and 10 quarterback hurries. Senior LB Jaeden Kinlock (5’11”, 225 lbs.) is a physical linebacker with 39 stops through 9 games. Senior S Ty Bartrum (6’1”, 200 lbs.) is Harvard’s captain and a returning 1st Team All-Ivy defender who is second on the squad in tackles with 58 on the season. Junior S Jack Donahoe (6’3”, 210 lbs.) has great size for a safety and is solid all-around in pass and run support. Junior DB Damien Anderson (6’0”, 180 lbs.) was a 2nd Team All-Ivy member in 2024 and has racked up 2 interceptions and 6 pass breakups. Junior DB Austin-Jake Guillory (6’1”, 180 lbs.) is another returning starter in the secondary who leads the team in pass breakups with 7. Senior DL Alex DeGriek (6’4”, 250 lbs.) leads the Crimson with 6 sacks on the season. Junior DT Jake Darling (6’4”, 290 lbs.) is disruptive at the line of scrimmage and leads the defensive linemen in tackles with 20. Junior DE Josh Fedd (6’4”, 250 lbs.) and sophomore DL Christian Nwosu (6’1”, 260 lbs.) are talented pass rushers who have each notched 3 sacks on the season. Penn was able to find success last week on the ground and through the air. While Penn’s running back was kept in check with just 55 rushing yards, Harvard could not contain Penn’s quarterback who rushed for 100 yards and a touchdown. Penn also exploited Harvard’s secondary with their talented receiving corps as O’Brien completed 80.0% of his passes for 271 yards and 3 passing touchdowns. Dante Reno will need to have nearly perfect timing on his throws to exploit tight windows of opportunity as several of Penn’s big passing plays were nearly intercepted. The offensive line must bounce back from a subpar performance last week to pave holes for Pitsenberger and Daal in the rushing attack as burning the clock in this contest is of utmost importance. Given Penn’s success on quarterback runs, implementing more wildcat packages with Pitsenberger could be beneficial. Yale’s offensive coaching staff faces their toughest test of the season and must dig deep into the playbook to keep Harvard’s defense guessing.

Sophomore K Kieran Corr (6’3”, 185 lbs.) has only missed two field goal attempts all season and made a 53-yard field goal last week in a high-pressure moment. Sophomore P Dylan Fingersh (5’10”, 180 lbs.) averages 39.5 yards per punt and has placed 4 punts inside the redzone. Harris averages 20.6 yards per kickoff return and has the ability to make several defenders miss.

Go Bulldogs! Beat the Crimson!